


Under the Sea

by chaeturtle_x



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Sea
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2019-11-24 13:07:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 11,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18165590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaeturtle_x/pseuds/chaeturtle_x
Summary: Haechan and his friends go on holiday to his family's holiday house near the sea. For the first time ever he steps foot into the salty water and becomes... a starfish?!





	1. Chapter 1

"Are we nearly there yet?" Haechan groaned while holding his stomach. "I feel car sick."

"Don't vomit in the car or else I'll make you clean it up yourself." his mum warned.

"Such a nice mother I have." Haechan rolled his eyes while Mark sniggered next to him.

"Yes darling we're nearly there, we'll be able to see the sea in a few minutes."

Doyoung straightened up in his seat and looked out the window. It had been a few years since he'd been to the sea and last time he only went with Taeyong. This time they were all going together as a group to Haechan's family's holiday house.

"Do you remember when we went to the beach together?" Taeyong had turned to face him with a nostalgic smile. "I miss those times."

Doyoung nodded. "I do too, but now we can make new memories together."

Taeyong laid his head on his boyfriend's shoulder and closed his eyes, the smile never leaving his lips. He was brought out of his peaceful thoughts when Lucas shouted suddenly.

"Look everyone! The sea!"

All eight boys craned their necks and gasped in delight at the glittering water that stretched for miles in front of them.

"Wow." Johnny said out loud what everyone was thinking.

The car took a right turn down a narrow road until it reached a large cottage.

"We're here boys!"

"Bagsie the largest room!" Lucas yelled as they all climbed out the car and grabbed their bags before making their way inside.

"Nuh-uh, largest room is for Mark and I." Haechan protested.

"Come on Haechan, let your guests choose their rooms first." his mother smiled.

"But mum!"

"No buts young man." she looked at the rest of the boys. "Go ahead and choose your rooms."

Doyoung grabbed Taeyong's hand and ran up the stairs, running straight for the room with the view of the sea.

"Let's choose this one." he grinned and looked at Taeyong for approval.

Taeyong didn't reply and instead flopped onto the bed with a satisfied sigh. Doyoung soon joined him, lying on his back and smiling at the ceiling.

"What the heck? Why do Taeyong and Doyoung get to have the biggest room?!" Yuta complained.

"First come first serve." Doyoung stuck out his tongue.

Johnny stuck his head around the door before jogging over to the window.

"You have the best view too, not fair!"

"Stop whining like kids." Taeyong groaned and held his head.

"Do you want to rest?" Doyoung asked softly and brushed the hair out of Taeyong's eyes.

Taeyong nodded and curled up into a ball, his hand reaching out to hold onto Doyoung's arm.

"We're going to rest for a bit." Doyoung told Mark when he turned up in the doorway.

"Sure, I'll tell the others." Mark nodded and left them alone.

"Hey! Who wants to go to the sea with me?" Haechan yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm hungry." Taeil walked down the stairs with Yuta behind him.

"Johnny? Lucas? Mark?" Haechan asked each person as they walked down the stairs a few moments later.

"I'll come." Mark shrugged.

Johnny and Lucas joined the others in the kitchen to scout for food, leaving Mark and Haechan to go to the sea by themselves.


	2. Chapter 2

"Let's go sit on those rocks over there." Mark pointed to a cluster of rocks ahead of them.

They walked hand in hand, briefly closing their eyes and breathing in the smell of the sea.

"Beautiful." Haechan smiled.

"It is, isn't it?" Mark agreed.

"I meant you."

Mark blushed slightly and looked down at his feet. "I'm so excited to spend the whole vacation together."

"Me too, I think this will be the best holiday ever. My first vacation with my sexy boyfriend and our friends."

"Stop making me blush Haechan."

Haechan pinched Mark's cheeks teasingly. "You're so cute."

They sat down on one of the rocks and swung their legs, their feet almost touching the water.

"Do you want to go swimming?"

"We can go swimming later with the others." Mark shook his head.

Haechan pouted and stretched his foot down further to kick at the water.

"Let's try to find the prettiest pebble." Mark suggested and then paused when he noticed Haechan wasn't beside him any more.

"Haechan?" he called out. "Where'd you go?"

Mark sighed loudly, preparing himself for one of Haechan's pranks when he felt something flapping against his leg.

He looked down and saw a starfish pushing itself against him.

"Hi there little one." Mark smiled and picked it up gently so as not to injure it. "Where did you come from?"

He looked around again for Haechan so he could show the pretty starfish to him.

"Haechan stop hiding and come look at this starfish!"

Suddenly the starfish exploded and next thing Mark knew Haechan was sitting on his lap.

"What the actual fu-"

"Oh my God." Haechan interrupted. "What happened?"

"I want to ask you the same thing."

They both stared at each other in shock.

"Was I..."

"Were you..."

"A starfish?!"

"Impossible." Mark shook his head. "How on earth did you just shape shift into a starfish?"

"I-I don't know... I just kicked the water and found myself shrinking down until I was looking up at you."

"Will I turn into a starfish too if I touch the water?"

"Try it." Haechan suggested excitedly.

Mark hesitated before shaking his head. "I'll try it when the others come, what if I can't shift back?"

"I managed to." Haechan shrugged. "I didn't do anything, I just suddenly turned back into a human.

"This is crazy."

"You're telling me." Haechan stood up shakily and threw one last glance at the water. "Come on, let's go back."


	3. Chapter 3

"The craziest thing just happened!" Mark and Haechan ran into the lounge where the others were sitting and talking.

"Haechan turned into a starfish!"

Lucas scoffed. "As if we believe that."

"No seriously! Come to the sea and I'll show you!"

"Come on Mark." Taeyong raised an eyebrow disapprovingly. "Don't tell me Haechan's pranks have rubbed off on you."

"I'm not kidding Taeyong!"

"Why a starfish though? You could have chosen any other sea creature and you chose a starfish?" Yuta laughed loudly.

Haechan frowned in annoyance. "Shut up Yuta, I'll laugh if you turn into a sea cucumber."

"Fat chance."

"Guys stop making fun of Haechan." Johnny quietened everyone down. "We'll go to the sea later okay? Then you can show us."

Haechan smiled gratefully at Johnny and sat next to him.

Mark sat next to Haechan and put an arm around his waist. "So what have you guys been doing while we were gone?"

"Sleeping."

"Playing games."

"Your mum made a seafood salad for us and left it on the kitchen worktop for you both." Taeil informed them.

"Seafood salad?" Haechan turned slightly green and winced. The poor boy had been a starfish minutes ago.

"I'm just going to drink some milk." Mark stood and went to the kitchen.

"Are you serious about being a starfish?" Doyoung asked curiously.

Haechan made eye contact and nodded seriously.

Doyoung sighed and stretched his arms above his head before standing. "Shall we go now then? I kinda want to go for a walk."

"Yeah let's go watch Haechan turn into a starfish." Yuta rolled his eyes.

"Sea cucumber!"

"Starfish!"

"Sea-"

"Shut up both of you! I still have a headache and damn it Haechan if this is another one of your pranks then I'll kill you." Taeyong threatened.

"Will you give me the biggest room if it's not a prank then?"

Taeyong scrutinized him for a second, surprised by how serious he was.

"On second thoughts, let's just go." Taeyong scurried off with Doyoung behind him.

The eight boys reached the same spot Mark and Haechan were at previously and looked at Haechan expectedly. 

"Okay, here goes." Haechan threw a brief glance at Mark before reaching down and touching the water.

Poof!

Haechan was no longer human but a starfish flapping about on the rock. Mark picked him up and showed him to the others.

"See?" he said with a satisfied smirk.

"Am I dreaming?" Taeil rubbed his eyes in shock.

"Nah that's not Haechan, the real Haechan must be hiding somewhere." Yuta said.

"That's what I thought at first but then he-"

As if on cue, Haechan turned back into a human with a massive smile on his face.

"It wasn't a prank." Haechan smirked.

"I still don't believe you, I'm going to touch the water and prove to you that I won't turn into some sort of sea creature." Yuta had barely finished talking when he disappeared and a seal lay in his place.

"Wow, first a starfish and now a seal. What next?" Doyoung said curiously.

"I don't know but I'm going to find out!" Lucas ran into the water and shifted into a stingray.

Everyone else looked at each other and ran into the water.

"A turtle? Seriously?" Taeyong grumbled and moved his flippers. 

"Hey! I'm a turtle too." Taeil nudged him.

"Woah, I can understand you guys?!" Mark swam up to them.

"Oh my-"

"You're adorable!"

Mark grinned. "I know, I'm pretty cute for a seahorse aren't I?"

They turned to the others who were swimming up to them.

"Johnny is also a seahorse and Doyoung is a seal like Yuta, awesome!" Mark laughed.


	4. Chapter 4

Mark swam up beside Haechan and whispered in his ear before letting Haechan perch on his back.

Haechan took a deep breath. "Under the sea..."

"Don't do it..." Taeyong groaned.

"Under the sea..."

"Damn it Johnny!"

"DARLING IT'S BETTER DOWN WHERE IT'S WETTER." Lucas yelled.

"Take it from me." Yuta sang with a smirk.

"You guys are a mess."

"Come on, join in the fun Taeyong!" Lucas flapped his wings, creating a wave for Taeyong to float along on.

"Yeah come on Taeyong. Up on the shore they work all day..." Doyoung teased with a wink.

"Out in the sun they slave away." Mark added.

"While we devotin' full time to floatin'." Taeil sang.

Taeyong sighed. "...under the sea."

"There you go." Johnny grinned.

"What's all this noise?" a shark suddenly came into view and was swimming towards them, fast.

"Shit a shark!" Mark yelled and everyone tried swimming away as fast as they could but were still unsure of how to control their bodies.

"Yo calm down, I won't hurt you."

"That's what all bad guys say! You're probably like that shark in Finding Nemo who repeats 'all fish are friends, not food' but then attempts to eat them after smelling blood!"

"I'm nothing like Bruce from Finding Nemo, my name is Ten."

"Wait..." Johnny turned around. "You know human movies?"

"I was once a human."

"Ten who are you talking to?" two dolphins swam up beside him.

"I found these animals singing together."

"Are they humans too?"

"Yeah." Ten looked back at all the sea creatures who had stopped swimming away from him and had swam towards him curiously. "These are my friends, Jeno and Jaemin."

"Nice to meet you." one of them dipped their nose while the other let bubbles come out of his mouth.

"Cute, why couldn't I be a dolphin?" Haechan sighed.

"You are adorable as a starfish Haechan, and it gives me an excuse to carry you on my back." Mark laughed.

"Where are the others?" Ten asked the dolphins.

"Probably messing about." Jeno shrugged.

"There are more of you?" Taeyong asked curiously.

"There's loads of us, including me we are a group of thirteen."

"You're kinda cute for a shark." Johnny blurted before widening his eyes and hiding under Lucas' wing.

Ten laughed, showing his huge sharp teeth. "I know, I don't know why I shape shifted into a shark. You're pretty cute too, for a seahorse."

Johnny slowly came out from his hiding spot, pink tinges evident on his cheeks.

"Well there's eight of us, can we hang around with you for now and be a group of twenty one?"

"Sure!"

Another dolphin swam into view followed by two jellyfish.

"Hey Sicheng! Jungwoo! Jaehyun! Come say hi to our new friends!" Jaemin yelled.

"Hello, I'm Sicheng." the dolphin said shyly.

"Yuta." Yuta suddenly became fixated on the new arrival and couldn't take his eyes off him.

Sicheng smiled at him before nudging a jellyfish with his nose.

"O-oh! I'm Jungwoo, nice to meet you."

"And I'm Jaehyun."

"Okay now let's go find the others so we can introduce them." Ten gestured for everyone to follow him.


	5. Chapter 5

"Gather around." Ten called out, making the creatures that were gathered on the sea floor look up at him.

"A starfish!" Haechan yelled excitedly. "I'm not the only one!"

The starfish was sat on a stingray's back and it waved one of its arms.

"Hey I'm Xiaojun!"

"My name is Renjun." the stingray added.

Lucas swam over and waved his tail. "Hello fellow stingray."

Renjun giggled and waved his tail back, almost hitting Xiaojun in the process.

"Be more careful Jun." he scolded.

"I've never seen a seahorse up close before." several fish were surrounding Mark and eyeing him with excitement.

Mark was frozen, unsure of how to react at being centre of attention.

"Umm..." he coughed. "What are your names?"

"Jisung." the smallest fish said proudly.

"Hendery."

"Yangyang."

"Nice to meet you Jisung, Hendery and Yangyang. Have you met Johnny? He's an even bigger seahorse than me." Mark moved his tail towards the seahorse who was deep in a conversation with Ten.

The fish swam off at once to harass Johnny instead, leaving Mark to breathe a sigh of relief.

"They didn't even acknowledge me." Haechan pouted. He had been sat on Mark's back this entire time.

"Be grateful." Mark muttered. "They were scary."

"Scary? Pfft they're just fish, they're not scary."

"Okay Mr. Starfish. Whatever you say." Mark dropped Haechan, letting him fall through the water.

"Mark!" Haechan shouted desperately. "You dropped me! Mark!"

"Did you say something? Something like 'oh those fish were sooo scary, I agree with you Mark' hmm?" Mark swam down beside Haechan.

"Petty much?" Haechan scoffed but then panicked as Mark began to swim away. "Fine, fine! They were scary, can you pick me up now?"

"That's better." Mark slotted Haechan onto his back.

"Giddy up horsey." Haechan giggled.

Mark rolled his eyes but swam back up to the others.

Ten noticed the two boys approaching and raised his voice. "Anyone that hasn't introduced themselves please do so now."

A turtle and a dolphin came forward.

"I'm Kun." the turtle waved.

"I'm Chenle!" the dolphin screeched.

"So how come you all are hanging out in the sea instead of on land?" Doyoung asked.

"Why would we go back? It's great down here." Chenle scoffed.

"Just because you're a dolphin." Jisung rolled his eyes. "I want to go back but not without my friends."

Jungwoo had swam towards Doyoung unconsciously and become absorbed in staring at his handsome face.

"Ow!" Doyoung hissed and glared at the jellyfish.

"Sorry..." Jungwoo turned a brighter pink and floated back over to Jaehyun.

Taeyong nudged Doyoung with his shell protectively and signalled for him to get on his back.

"I'm fine." Doyoung mouthed.

Meanwhile Yuta had become Sicheng's shadow, much to Sicheng's embarrassment.

"Can you stop staring at me?" the dolphin asked quietly.

"Why? I like staring at cute things." the seal replied.

Sicheng blushed slightly and was about to reply but was cut off.

"Do you wanna... hang out when we get to land?"

"I don't know if I'll ever change back to a human." Sicheng said.

Yuta pouted. "Okay we can hang out in the sea then."

"Who is that?" Sicheng gestured towards one of the turtles.

"Oh that's Taeil, he's pretty quiet and is the oldest out of all of us. Why? Do you want to meet him?"

"Yeah."


	6. Chapter 6

"Taeil this is Sicheng, he wanted to meet you." Yuta and Sicheng approached the turtle that was floating quietly at the side of the group.

"Hi Sicheng." he waved.

Yuta noticed Sicheng turn slightly pink and internally face palmed at introducing the two boys.

"U-umm Taeil I think Haechan wanted to have a ride on your back, you should go to him since he can't swim." Yuta said hurriedly.

"Oh? Okay, see you Sicheng." Taeil swam away from them.

"No I didn't ask for a ride but I'll take it." Haechan shrugged when Taeil approached him.

Taeil glanced back at Yuta who threw a smirk in his direction.

Mark carefully placed Haechan on Taeil's back and watched as they swam a few laps weaving in and out of their friends.

A dark shadow loomed above them.

"Is that another one of your friends?" Taeyong asked Ten and pointed to the shark shaped figure.

"Oh crap." Ten muttered. "SHARK! SWIM AWAY!"

Everyone started screaming and swimming in different directions.

"Fish are friends, not food." Haechan shook an arm at the shark that was following them.

"I appreciate the reference Haechan but hold on tightly to my shell otherwise Mark might kill me for losing you." Taeil said in a panicked voice.

"Got it."

"Who was that?" Johnny asked breathlessly once they'd lost the shark.

Ten sighed. "A shark that won't get the hint."

"Wait... he likes you?"

"She."

"She?!"

"Yeah I don't understand her since she's just a shark and not a human-turned-shark but I think she wants my babies."

Johnny grumbled possessively. "Next time she comes around I'll show her who's boss."

Ten laughed as Johnny puffed out his chest. "No offence but I don't think you'll scare her... you're tiny compared to her."

"But sexier right?"

"Definitely sexier."

"Any other animals you want to warn us about?" Taeyong breathed out.

"Well there's a shoal of fish that keep trying to steal Jisung, Hendery and Yangyang from us. A giant crab that likes to snap its claws at us and there's a rumour that there's a megalodon living in the deeps of the ocean."

Ten turned to look at Renjun who was laughing and chasing Lucas. The two stingrays were joking about and doing tricks in the water.

"Also a few kilometres from here is the underwater palace. I heard from other shifters that the princess who lives in the palace is actually a human too and was kidnapped by the fish."

"That's horrible."

"Shall we try to rescue her?" Mark piped up, Haechan was safely perched on his back again after Taeil had a mini panic attack over potentially accidentally losing him.

"We tried but their security is tight. Sharks roam the waters around the palace and they hate shifters." Jaehyun said.

"Well there's more of us now, we could form a plan and give it a try." Ten considered.

"We should be getting back home." Taeyong said. "We can come back tomorrow and help you guys out."

"Umm just one problem Taeyong." Yuta piped up. "How do we shift back?"

"...I have no idea."


	7. Chapter 7

"Haechan how did you turn back into a human?" Lucas asked.

Haechan wasn't listening so Mark answered for him instead. "He said he didn't do anything, he just turned back into a human."

"That's so helpful." Taeyong groaned.

"Shall we try thinking of our human bodies and shifting back?" Taeil suggested.

"You've been reading too many werewolf books." Yuta scoffed.

"Have not!"

"Does anyone else want to come back to the shore with us and shift?" Doyoung asked. "It would be good if some of you could join us and discuss our plan."

"Sure I'll come." Ten shrugged before turning to his group. "I'll pick some people to come with us... hmm, Jaehyun, Jungwoo and Sicheng?"

Everyone agreed and the group split into two.

Yuta was swimming circles around Sicheng in excitement.

"I get to see you in human form! I can't wait!"

"I managed to turn back into a human when I wasn't touching water so... maybe that's how we shift back?" Haechan mumbled.

"Good idea, but how are we going to get out of the water?" Mark asked.

"Yuta and Doyoung can easily get out of the water and then they can lift the rest of us out and onto land." Jungwoo spoke up.

"But you're a jellyfish... you might sting me again." Doyoung glared.

"It was an accident..." Jungwoo sounded like he was going to cry.

"Just pick him up by the top, and don't touch the tentacles." Taeyong rolled his eyes.

Yuta and Doyoung made their way onto land and sure enough they shifted back into their human forms.

They glanced at each other before quickly hurrying back and picking up each animal in turn while being careful not to touch the water.

Ten and Sicheng were the largest animals so they needed more than one pair of hands to help them out of the water.

"You almost snapped my dorsal fin." Ten glared at Johnny.

"Sorry."

"Huh? You sound like Johnny, are you..?"

"I'm Johnny." he smiled shyly at Ten.

"It's no problem then." Ten turned pink and mentally cursed himself for glaring at his crush.

"For such a large sea creature, I would have thought you'd be taller as a human." Johnny joked.

"Sicheng! Wow- you look so handsome." Yuta gushed.

"Thank you." Sicheng smiled and looked down at his feet. "It's been so long since I've come up onto land."

Jungwoo was still trapped in his trance of staring at Doyoung. He quickly looked away when Doyoung noticed him staring.

"Are you Jungwoo?"

"Y-yes, I didn't sting you did I?"

"No, sorry for glaring at you earlier. I know you probably didn't mean to sting me." Doyoung smiled apologetically.

Jungwoo smiled brightly. "It's okay!"

Taeyong sighed as he watched his boyfriend and the cute new boy talk to each other. He didn't want to interrupt but he felt a twinge of jealousy at the sight of them smiling at each other.

"Hi, Taeyong is it?"

Taeyong turned to look at Jaehyun who had been standing awkwardly by himself.

"Yeah, and I'm guessing you're Jaehyun?"

"That's me." he beamed. 

Everyone started walking back towards the house.

"Can you tell me what happened last time when you tried to rescue the princess?" Taeyong asked Ten.

"Sure I'll tell you all when we get to Haechan's holiday house."


	8. Chapter 8

"Is that Taeil?" Sicheng whispered to Yuta and pointed at the boy walking in front of them.

"Yeah." Yuta whispered back before frowning. "Why are you so obsessed with him?"

"I'm not."

"Are too." Yuta crossed his arms.

Sicheng stayed quiet but raised an eyebrow at Yuta's strange behaviour. 

"There you are!" Haechan's mother stood in the doorway with a worried expression. "I thought you boys got lost."

"We just went swimming." Lucas said nonchalantly. 

"Yeah we were just in the sea." Haechan shrugged.

"I see new faces, did you make friends already?" 

"Oh yeah! Mum this is Ten, Sicheng, Jungwoo and Jaehyun."

"Stay for dinner if you wish, I'll call you when it's ready." she smiled and disappeared back inside.

The boys gathered in the lounge and looked expectantly at Ten.

"So what happened?" Doyoung asked, laying down on his stomach next to Taeyong.

"Occasionally the palace is open for visitors, usually these are high-class individuals who have a lot of power in the sea. I attempted to get inside with Jaehyun posing as my servant but they refused entry to him and I went in alone. I roamed around the palace searching for the princess but I was found and thrown out."

"Why was Jaehyun refused entry? Surely it's normal for high-class people to have servants." Taeyong asked curiously.

"Apparently jellyfish are not usually used as servants and could be of danger to the guests." he said in embarrassment. "I should have brought Jisung instead."

"How do you know that? I thought you couldn't understand er- fish language?"

"Jaehyun learnt how to speak their language, he has been here longer than all of us, along with Jeno, Jaemin and Sicheng."

"You can speak fish? Cool!" Yuta nudged Sicheng.

"Their language is called Poine, not fish." Sicheng let out an exasperated sigh.

"Can you teach me how to speak Poine?"

"If necessary."

Yuta beamed brightly but his happiness was cut short by Taeil who had been silently observing the two.

"Can you teach me too?"

"Sure." Sicheng smiled.

Yuta glared at Taeil and mimed slicing his throat.

"What are you doing?!" he mouthed at Taeil.

Taeil shrugged innocently and hid his smirk behind his hand.

They all discussed the plan and agreed to meet around lunchtime tomorrow. After dinner the four boys bid their goodbyes and walked back to the sea.

"Well I'm off to bed, I'll see you in the morning." Taeyong yawned sleepily.

"Me too." Doyoung followed him up the stairs.

"Taeil I'm going to push you off the bed tonight while you're sleeping." Yuta threatened. "Stop flirting with Sicheng."

"I'm not flirting, I don't know what you're talking about."

Yuta whacked him across the head. "Dude seriously, stop."


	9. Chapter 9

"Are you okay Taeyong?" Doyoung asked once they'd brushed their teeth and slipped into bed.

"Yeah." Taeyong replied before turning and facing Doyoung. "Actually no, I'm jealous."

"Jealous of what?" Doyoung mirrored his actions and stared at him wide eyed.

"You and Jungwoo."

Doyoung scoffed. "Why are you jealous of him and I? That reminds me... I noticed Jaehyun staring at you and that made me jealous."

Taeyong blinked. "But I literally did nothing but talk to him."

"Isn't that what Jungwoo and I did?"

Taeyong laughed and tickled Doyoung making him squeal.

"I guess I was jealous for nothing huh?"

Doyoung recovered from the tickle attack and pushed Taeyong onto his back before straddling his hips.

Taeyong's breathing became noticeably faster as he stared up at Doyoung.

"You don't have to be jealous Tae." he mumbled and pushed his head into Taeyong's neck, sucking gently.

Taeyong closed his eyes and breathed out a moan at the sensation on his neck.

"Doyoung... someone could walk in at any second."

"I'm not going to do anything inappropriate." he reassured and kissed his way around Taeyong's jaw before connecting their lips.

Doyoung reached down and gently grabbed Taeyong's wrists, bringing them up above his head.

"I love you." Doyoung mumbled into the kiss. "Now Jaehyun will know you're spoken for."

"What do you mean?" Taeyong cocked his head to the side, looking adorably innocent with his hands still above his head.

Doyoung smirked. "I may have left you a little present on your neck."

Taeyong groaned. "Ugh Doyoung! Haechan's mum is going to know we did something."

"Oops?"

Taeyong growled and flipped them over so that he was on top.

"Should I mark you too?" he hummed and flicked his tongue at Doyoung's neck.

"If you want."

Taeyong grinned and pecked Doyoung's lips before sucking on his neck, making sure to leave a dark purple mark.

"Done." Taeyong said proudly before stifling a yawn. "We should sleep now, I don't know what crazy things are going to happen tomorrow."

"Hey Taeyong." Doyoung muttered sleepily.

"Hmm?"

"What if today actually didn't happen and we hallucinated everything? I mean... it's impossible to turn into fish right?"

"I guess we'll find out tomorrow." Taeyong replied and placed his arm over Doyoung's torso so he could cuddle him to sleep.

"Okay goodnight."

"Goodnight handsome."

Meanwhile Yuta and Taeil were arguing furiously in their room.

"Fine I like him okay?" Taeil whisper shouted. "And I think he likes me back!"

"I knew it! You sneaky thing pretending not to know what I was talking about!" Yuta whisper shouted back.

"You were suffocating him and not giving him space to breathe! No wonder he isn't interested in you!"

"Shut up! We'll find tomorrow who he likes more, deal?"

"Deal." Taeil smirked.

"I want to strangle you so bad." Yuta gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

"Violence is never the answer Yuta." Taeil turned over in bed so that his back was facing Yuta. "Now go to sleep you sea cucumber."

"Wha- hey! I'm not a sea cucumber, I'm a seal - much better than a turtle in my opinion."

"Whatever you say sea cucumber."


	10. Chapter 10

Everyone was awake and downstairs eating breakfast except for two people: Taeyong and Doyoung.

"Wakey wakey!" Haechan yelled and jumped onto their bed, spreading his arms and legs out like a starfish.

"Go away Haechan." Doyoung groaned and pulled the covers over his head.

Haechan got off the bed and grabbed the bottom of the duvet, grinning before pulling it off the two sleepy boys.

"Hey!" Taeyong yelled and desperately reached for the warm comfort of the duvet.

"It's time to get up sleepy heads." Haechan sang. "We're meeting our new friends today remember? We shouldn't be late."

Both Doyoung and Taeyong immediately felt more awake when they remembered the events of the previous day.

Haechan ran back downstairs and left the boys alone to get ready before they joined the others for breakfast.

"Will you two stop bickering." Johnny snapped at Yuta and Taeil who had resumed their argument from last night.

"He's trying to steal Sicheng away from me!" Yuta protested.

"He was never yours to begin with!" Taeil retorted.

"You just met the boy, how come you're both fighting over him already?" Taeyong asked amusedly. 

"He captured my attention immediately, Taeil only noticed him when I introduced them."

"Well Yuta." Doyoung sighed. "It's your fault for introducing them in the first place. Until Sicheng chooses who he likes, he is free to flirt with whoever."

Yuta huffed and forcefully shoved a large spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"Would you boys like me to pack a picnic for you to take to the sea? I can make sandwiches and include crisps and fruit."

"No th-"

"Yes please Mrs. Lee." Mark interrupted and nudged Haechan.

"It'll be suspicious if we go there for the whole day without food, we need to act natural." he whispered.

"Good thinking."

"Has anyone caught your eye Lucas?" Johnny wiggled his eyebrows.

"Nope."

"Lies." Mark grinned. "I saw you staring at a certain someone who was staring at someone else."

Lucas blushed but shook his head. "I wasn't staring at anyone! I was probably spaced out."

Doyoung looked at Mark. "Who was he staring at? I'm curious."

"You'll find out soon enough."

"I don't know why he was staring at someone else anyway. I'm a majestic sting ray, much better than a se-"

"A se-?" Doyoung frowned.

Lucas pursed his lips and stayed silent.

"Oh Doyoung you're so clueless." Taeyong rolled his eyes. "Even I know who he was staring at."

"Not fair! How come everyone but me knows?"

Mark sighed. "It's Jungwoo."

"Mark!"

"Sorry bro, but I don't think Doyoung would notice since Jungwoo is always staring at him." Mark said sympathetically. 

"Oh... that makes sense now." Doyoung paused and looked at Lucas out of the corner of his eye. "I'm a little offended you think you're better than a seal though."

"Sorry." Lucas mumbled.

"I'll introduce you two, how about that?"

Lucas perked up. "That would be great."


	11. Chapter 11

"Ten!" Johnny called out as soon as he spotted a familiar large shape swimming in the water.

The shark turned and the eight boys were soon surrounded by familiar faces.

"Good morning." Ten greeted them but his expression remained sober. 

"Is something wrong?" Haechan asked uncertainly, feeling a bit scared of the shark's dark expression.

"Jisung got his fin clipped by the giant crab this morning, fortunately he got away before the crab could do any real damage but his right fin is useless at the moment."

"Oh no, is he okay?" Mark felt bad for the fish even though yesterday he'd been scared of him.

"I'm okay." the fish replied. "Yangyang has been helping me swim."

"Do you know why this crab is so aggressive towards you?" Taeil asked curiously.

"We have no idea." Renjun said sadly.

"Are we by any chance... in his territory?" Doyoung spoke up.

Everyone stared at him before looking at Ten.

"He might be right!"

"He's so smart!"

Doyoung smiled proudly and Taeyong chuckled at his expression.

Ten pondered for a while before nodding. "There's a possibility we are in his territory, Jaehyun could you speak to him and ask why he keeps attacking us?"

"Sure." the jellyfish wobbled, whether it was because he was nervous or just because he was a jellyfish... we'll never know.

Jaehyun swam off in search of the crab while the others mingled together and began chatting.

"Come with me." Doyoung signalled to Lucas to follow him over to the remaining jellyfish.

"Hi Jungwoo." Doyoung smiled at the jellyfish who was glowing a bright pink.

"H-hello!"

"This is Lucas."

"Hi nice to meet you Jungwoo, I must say... I find it fascinating how you can glow different colours."

"Oh thank you Lucas, I'm really happy there's another stingray around here now for Renjun to play with." Jungwoo smiled.

Doyoung backed away slowly, leaving the two boys to talk together.

"All good?" Taeyong asked Doyoung once he'd returned to his side.

"All good." he confirmed and giggled at the sight of a flustered Lucas.

Jaehyun had left the safety of his friends and was now peering through the water in search of the giant crab.

"Hey crab!" he called out in the Poine language.

He strained his ears for sounds of the crab and yelled in surprise when the crab suddenly appeared in front of him.

The crab hissed and snapped at him.

"Wait, wait!" Jaehyun desperately tried to move out of the way of those deadly pincers. 

"What do you want?" the crab growled in annoyance.

"I-I want to ask you something!" Jaehyun sighed in relief when the crab calmed down slightly.

"What?"

"Earlier you injured my friend and we were wondering if this is your territory."

The crab blinked its eyes at him before laughing loudly. "You only just figured that out? Wow, is there a single braincell among you?"

Jaehyun bristled in annoyance. "Actually the braincell was the one who guessed we were on your territory. So I'm taking that as a yes?"

"Yes, you're on my territory." the crab glared. "I've been searching for a female but you stupid fish keep scaring away other crabs."

"My apologies." Jaehyun apologised sincerely. "We'll stay well clear of this area from now on."

Jaehyun swam away fast before he did anything stupid - like for example, sting the crab's eye with his tentacles.

"Braincell?" Jaehyun muttered and laughed crazily. "How rude. It's not like we know the rules of the sea."


	12. Chapter 12

"So what did the crab say?" Ten asked once Jaehyun had returned, taking note of the bright red colour of the jellyfish.

"He said we were on his territory and asked if we had a braincell among us." Jaehyun grumbled.

"Uhm what? Korean please?"

"Oh sorry." Jaehyun was too caught up in his annoyance to realise he wasn't speaking Korean. "He said-"

Three out of four of the dolphins immediately cracked up and laughed so hard that they were creating a wall of bubbles in front of them.

"Braincell?!" Jaemin scoffed.

Chenle nudged Jaemin and asked him to explain what was so funny. Soon after high pitched dolphin sounds filled the water as Chenle rolled about in laughter.

"Yes we are on his territory which is why he is always grumpy and he's looking for a female." Jaehyun glared and left out the part about the braincell.

"Right, thanks for the information Jaehyun."

"Don't ask me to speak to another sea creature again, they piss me off." his colour was now changing between bright red and pitch black, showing his annoyance.

Yuta and Taeil swam up to Sicheng and cleared their throats at the same time, causing the dolphin to turn around.

"We have a question for you..." Yuta said, suddenly nervous.

"Yes?" the dolphin suddenly felt nervous as well, but he didn't know why.

"Who do you like more, me or Yuta?" Taeil asked.

"Uhm... w-why are you asking?" he stuttered.

"We both like you and were wondering which one of us you'd choose."

"What makes you think I'll choose one of you?" Sicheng scrutinised them.

"I- er-" Yuta felt flustered, having not thought of that option.

"We only met yesterday, sorry but I don't make rash decisions." the dolphin sent them one last look before swimming off to talk to Kun.

"Well that was-"

"Unexpected." Taeil finished.

"I think I like him even more now." Yuta sighed dreamily, causing Taeil to roll his eyes.

"When is the palace next open for visitors, do you know?" Taeyong asked Ten.

"In a few months I think there's a ball being held and they're hiring staff at the moment. They're also inviting famous fish with a notable reputation... wait!" Ten suddenly yelled making Taeyong jump and look around for a threat.

"Couldn't you and your friends sing at the ball? You could show them your singing skills and they'd be sure to hire you, I was so shocked to hear you all sing when I first met you." Ten suggested excitedly. 

"That's a good idea!" Doyoung nodded.

"I don't know how I feel about singing in front of strangers." Haechan said shyly.

"Come on Haechan! Your voice is amazing, you shouldn't be shy." Mark prompted him.

"Well it's worth a shot." Taeyong shrugged. "We might not be allowed in but if Sicheng and the others can teach us their language we might just be able to."

"Awesome we should start straight away." Ten beamed.


	13. Chapter 13

"Soooo can you do any tricks?" Lucas tried to keep the conversation flowing between him and Jungwoo.

"Apart from changing colours?"

"Mhm."

"Well... I guess if I swim really fast I look like a torpedo." 

Lucas held back a laugh. "Really? Let's see!"

Jungwoo swam away until he was out of sight and even his glowing colours weren't visible any more.

Lucas waited eagerly until he could see Jungwoo swimming towards him as fast as he could. He burst into laughter, not being able to hold it in any longer.

"What's so funny?" Jungwoo glowed a bright pink.

"You- looked- like-" Lucas choked out in between laughs and tried to compose himself.

He coughed and cleared his throat. "You looked like you were lagging."

"Lagging?" Jungwoo asked in a confused voice.

"As in you kept pausing to build up momentum, torpedoes just move forward fast without stopping. So you were essentially a lagging torpedo."

Jungwoo glared. "Well excuse me Mr. Stingray it's not like you can do anything impressive."

Lucas grinned. "I am a multi talented ray."

"Go on then." Jungwoo crossed his tentacles. 

Lucas started to pull funny faces which immediately made Jungwoo's bad mood evaporate and he laughed for a good minute. 

"I-I haven't seen Renjun do funny faces like that... I guess you could say that is an impressive skill." Jungwoo clapped.

"For the record, I thought your lagging torpedo was cute." Lucas whispered, causing Jungwoo to change colours between yellow and pink.

Lucas took note of the colours. "What do the different colours mean? Is bright pink your neutral colour?"

"No... my neutral colour is actually a very pale pink."

"Why is it you're always bright pink when I see you then?"

"I-I don't know, yellow means I'm happy, red and black is angry, green is jealous." Jungwoo avoided the question.

"I think I know what bright pink means then." Lucas smirked and then lowered his voice. "If I were a jellyfish I think I would be bright pink all the time around you."

Jungwoo glowed bright pink as expected and threw an embarrassed look at Lucas.

"So cute." Lucas cooed. 

"If you call me cute again I'll sting you." Jungwoo threatened.

Lucas lifted up his tail and waved it around. "I'll sting you back then."

"You wouldn't." he pouted.

"You're right, I wouldn't. I'm just warning you in case you come near me with those tentacles." Lucas grinned then grew serious again. "Umm I-I was wondering if want you can come back to the house with me for the night?"

"Umm..."

"Oh sorry, I forgot you liked someone else." Lucas suddenly felt sad.

Jungwoo threw a glance in Doyoung's direction before smiling at Lucas. "No... he is taken anyway and you're kinda cute."

"Awesome! I'm going to see what the others are talking about, I'll see you later!" Lucas beamed and swam off to tell the good news to Doyoung.


	14. Chapter 14

"We've decided to spend the next few days on land so we can learn the basics of the language." Mark told Lucas as soon as he joined the group. "Sicheng, Jaemin, Jeno, Jaehyun, Ten and a few others will join us too."

"Okay, Jungwoo is coming too." Lucas grinned

"How is mission luwoo coming along?" Doyoung asked him.

"Mission luwoo? What's that?"

"The name I gave to the mission of getting Jungwoo to fall for you. It's a mix of your names."

"It's going great actually Jungwoo called me cute." Lucas blushed.

"OoOooOh you've been cute-zoned!"

"Oh no, is that a bad thing? If he was really interested he'd call me sexy right? I knew he wouldn't like me-"

"Chill bro, I was just kidding. He's staring at you right now."

Lucas stilled. "How do I look? Should I try to impress him?"

Doyoung shrugged and then swam out of Lucas' way as he did a couple back flips. Doyoung cheered Lucas on and kept one eye on Jungwoo who was turning a shade of green.

"What does green mean? Disgust?" Doyoung mumbled to himself but then was distracted by Taeyong scolding Lucas for making a disturbance.

"We should move somewhere else out of the crab's territory then agree to meet there tomorrow." Ten announced.

"Smooth or chunky?" Yuta asked Sicheng as they began to search for a new area which was unoccupied.

"What?"

"Peanut butter, smooth or chunky?"

"O-oh... chunky."

"Salt or sweet?"

"Salt."

"Dogs or cats?"

"Both."

"Yuta or Taeil?"

"Yu-" Sicheng broke off and glared at Yuta. "Really? You did all that to try and trick me?"

Yuta laughed. "Actually I just wanted to see what you like, I wasn't planning to say the end part, it just slipped out."

"Mhm, sure..." Sicheng grumbled.

"Your answers confirm that you are indeed my soul mate though. I love chunky peanut butter, I prefer salty foods over sweet foods and I can't decide between dogs and cats."

"If there was a such thing as soul mates I think I'd rather be forever alone than spend my entire life with you."

"Ouch." Yuta pouted.

"You're just so clingy and- ugh! At least Taeil gives me space."

Yuta stared wide eyed at Sicheng, his emotions going from sad to annoyed to angry.

"Fine, I'll leave you alone then." Yuta snapped and swam away from the dolphin, leaving him confused.

"I was just telling him my honest opinion..." Sicheng trailed off and then sighed.

"Boyfriend troubles?" Hendery suddenly appeared by his side with a pitiful expression.

"He's not my boyfriend! I just want some space but he's so clingy."

"I'll give you a word of advice." the small fish said - not as small as Jisung but still small nevertheless. "If someone genuinely shows interest in you, don't take them for granted. I did that with Ten and now..." he trailed off and stared longingly at Ten who was joking about with Johnny.

"You regret it." Sicheng finished for him. 

"Very much so."


	15. Chapter 15

The boys managed to find an area of the ocean that was uninhabited by dangerous creatures. After discussing a few more things the group once again split into two, one group heading towards land and the other searching for food to eat.

Once they got onto dry land Jaemin and Jeno immediately put an arm each around the boy in between them.

"It feels so good to be human again doesn't it Injunnie?" Jaemin grinned and squeezed his waist.

Renjun nodded. "You guys are kinda suffocating me though..."

Jeno pressed his cheek against Renjun's. "It's been so long since we had proper contact, being 10x bigger than you in the sea doesn't help."

"Not to mention he has a stinger." Jaemin added.

"I ship them." Mark giggled and whispered to Haechan.

"Who? There's three of them."

"All of them."

Haechan shot Mark a look of disgust. "Don't tell me you're into threesomes..."

"No! Oh God no, I just mean they look cute together. I don't want another boy for myself." Mark hurriedly explained.

"Good because I'm not sharing." Haechan possessively grabbed onto Mark's arm.

Jungwoo sighed as he looked at the limitless number of couples walking in front of him. He was also feeling slightly jealous of Doyoung who was talking and laughing with Lucas. Jungwoo was confused as to why Lucas hadn't come up to him instead of Doyoung.

"Come on Jungwoo, just go up to him and talk. It's not like he'll ignore you." Jungwoo muttered to himself and took a deep breath before speeding up his walk towards Lucas.

He slowed down however when Taeyong joined in their conversation and was laughing loudly at something Lucas had said.

"Never mind..." he said sadly and looked down at his shoes as he dragged them over the ground.

"You okay?" he jumped when Xiaojun appeared next to him.

"Where did you come from?!" Jungwoo held his heart in shock.

Xiaojun laughed. "I was walking behind you the whole time."

"Did you hear-"

"Yep."

Jungwoo covered his face in embarrassment. He felt like he was acting like a coward by not being able to talk to Lucas.

"Just go talk to him." Xiaojun encouraged. "If he excludes you that means he isn't a good match for you anyway."

"You're right." he suddenly felt motivated. "Thanks Xiaojun."

Xiaojun nodded in response and watched as Jungwoo called Lucas' name and started to jog towards him.

Lucas turned to wave at Jungwoo but his hand stopped in mid air as he watched Jungwoo trip and face plant onto the ground.

"Oh Jungwoo..." Xiaojun sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"


	16. Chapter 16

"Are you... okay?" Lucas asked Jungwoo as he laid unmoving on the ground, probably too embarrassed to show his face.

"No." Jungwoo muttered into the sandy pavement. 

Lucas had held back a laugh for Jungwoo's sake but he was glad Jungwoo couldn't see his face right now as it was contorted into some strange expression which one would do when holding in a laugh.

"Let me help you up." Lucas picked Jungwoo up awkwardly by the waist and brushed off the dirt from his clothes.

"That was mortifying." Jungwoo breathed out, his eyes wide and cheeks stained red.

"Well... is it safe to say you fell for me?"

Jungwoo hit Lucas' arm. "Not funny."

Lucas gestured to the others to keep on walking, as they had stopped to turn and watch the comedic scene play out in front of them.

"You okay Jungwoo?" Xiaojun asked as he walked past, sending him a smirk. "I knew you'd fallen for him, but not that hard."

Jungwoo glared at his retreating back in embarrassment before shooting an apologetic look at Lucas.

"You must think I'm a right clumsy freak."

"Not at all." Lucas denied. "I thought it was quite cute actually."

"Cute?!" he scoffed. "What's cute about me falling over on my face?"

"Whatever you do is cute."

"Let's catch up to the others." Jungwoo ignored the statement that was making his cheeks burn.

"I wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"For giving me a chance. I know we just met and you had your eyes on Doyoung but it means a lot that you're willing to give a boy like me a chance." Lucas smiled and sneakily grabbed onto Jungwoo's hand.

"B-boy like you?" Jungwoo managed to stutter out when he'd recovered from the shock of skin ship with Lucas.

"Yeah you know... how I like to show off but I actually have no idea what the hell I'm doing." Lucas pulled a funny face.

"That makes you unique, I like it." Jungwoo replied honestly. "You're not just a pretty face, you're weird, you have character and I can tell you're kind too."

"Wow that's the first time I've been called weird but in a good way." Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"Weird is good." Jungwoo turned his head to look at Lucas. "Better than being normal."

"True that." Lucas nodded. "But many people don't see it that way, they'd rather fit in than be different."

Jungwoo scrunched up his nose. "Sounds dreadfully boring."

"I like you." Lucas laughed before slapping his hand over his mouth and staring wide eyed at the boy next to him.

Jungwoo mirrored his shocked expression. "Wow-"

"That was-"

"Fast."

"Yeah, umm... forget I ever said that. It slipped out." Lucas bounced around nervously.

"It's okay, I like you too."

"You do?" Lucas became serious and examined Jungwoo's face for any signs of lying.

"Yeah, I find it cute how words just 'slipped' out your mouth."

"How the hell is that cute? Oh-"

"I'm just copying what you said earlier." Jungwoo winked. "Anything you do is cute."

"You sneaky thing I really like you."

"Did you just-"

"Yep."


	17. Chapter 17

"Yuta?" Sicheng nervously approached the older boy.

"What?" Yuta snapped, his expression softening slightly as he looked up at Sicheng who was loitering around anxiously.

"C-can I sit here?"

"I don't know, can you? You're not going to call me clingy even though you're the one approaching me are you?"

"Cut the poor boy some slack Yuta." Johnny elbowed him.

"I'm sorry about earlier, I was too stuck up my own ass to realise you were just showing me kindness." Sicheng sat next to Yuta on the lounge floor.

Yuta paused, having not expected an apology so soon. He wanted to punish Sicheng for hurting him but at the same time he liked the boy too much to leave him hanging.

"It's okay." he said eventually and his wide grin was back on his face. "I'll forgive you as long as you give me a kiss."

Sicheng's eyes widened and he looked at Yuta to see if he was joking. Yuta tapped his cheek twice to indicate he meant a kiss on the cheek.

He hesitated for a second before quickly pushing his lips against Yuta's soft skin and pulling away.

Sicheng admired the boy's face. He was too used to seeing whiskers and wide eyes and hadn't had time to admire Yuta in human form.

"See something you like?" Yuta teased.

Sicheng blushed and looked away while Yuta just beamed at the attention Sicheng was giving him. Neither of them noticed Taeil who was scowling from across the room.

"Okay everyone, quieten down." Ten said and Johnny admired how everyone immediately turned their attention to him without needing to ask twice. "You need to get into groups, with Sicheng, Jaemin, Jeno and Jaehyun each in separate groups."

Group 1: Sicheng, Yuta, Taeil, Jungwoo

Group 2: Jaemin, Renjun, Johnny, Ten

Group 3: Jeno, Xiaojun, Mark, Haechan

Group 4: Jaehyun, Taeyong, Doyoung, Lucas

Jungwoo pouted as he tried to sneak his way into Lucas' group but Ten had pushed him into Sicheng's group.

"But I wanna be with Lucas!" Jungwoo cried out softly, not wanting to make a scene.

"Sorry Jungwoo but it would be easier if there's an equal number of people in each group." Ten shot him a sympathetic look.

"It's okay, we can spend the whole night together." Lucas whispered in Jungwoo's ear and shot him a wink.

Jungwoo shivered in excitement and nodded shyly, at least he had something to look forward to later.


	18. Chapter 18

The afternoon flew by with little to no problems. Each group had learnt the basic greetings of the Poine language and decided to take a break when Lucas let out a huge yawn.

Haechan's mother had been absent up until this point and happened to walk into the lounge when all boys were stretching their limbs and groaning at the stiffness.

"Oh goodness!" she held a hand to her heart in shock at seeing the number of boys double. "Where did you manage to find all these boys? In the ocean?" she joked.

"You could say that." Haechan laughed. "We made some new friends and they came to hang out."

"Well I'm glad to see you boys are enjoying your vacation." she turned and looked at Ten. "Ah, I remember you from yesterday - are you staying around here?"

Ten kept a calm expression on his face and nodded. "My friends and I are just here for the holidays."

"I see, well you're welcome here whenever you want." she smiled. "It's getting quite late though so if you want you can order pizza and then make your way home."

"Thank you!" everyone chorused and Haechan pulled out his phone to go onto a pizza website and choose the pizzas.

"Your mum is so generous." Jaemin said to Haechan with a jealous expression. "My mum would never let me have this many guests in my house and pay for all the food."

"Yeah same." Jeno added.

"That's why I ran away from home and ended up living in the sea." Jaemin explained. "I can eat whatever I want for free and no parents to nag me about bed time or to tell me to stop spending so much time with my friends."

Everyone was silent - Haechan and his friends hadn't bothered to think about why they were living in the sea in the first place or how strange it was that they hadn't mentioned their parents.

Jungwoo unconsciously snuggled his body into Lucas' side making Lucas smile and put an arm around the smaller boy.

"I lowkey want to stay in the sea and never go to school again." Mark muttered.

"I highkey want to stay in the sea and never go to school again." Yuta corrected. "And stay with Sichengie."

"Should we choose a movie for when the pizza gets here?" Haechan asked and everyone immediately agreed.

The boys made themselves comfortable on the sofa and the floor, ready to watch a horror movie and eat pizza.


	19. Chapter 19

Lucas led Jungwoo to his shared bedroom with Johnny. Johnny had agreed to sleep on the couch for the night, unfortunately Ten had to get back to the sea to make sure the others weren't getting up to mischief - even if he actually wanted to cuddle up with Johnny.

"Are you okay? The movie didn't scare you that much did it?" Lucas asked Jungwoo who was staring straight ahead, his eyes glassy and unseeing.

Jungwoo blinked and looked up at Lucas. "I haven't watched a scary film in so long, I guess I was a tiny bit scared."

Lucas grinned and sat beside him, laying a hand on Jungwoo's chest where his heart would be.

"Your heart is beating super fast."

Jungwoo didn't bother to say it was beating fast because of Lucas and not because of how scared he was. Instead he smiled softly and looked down at his lap.

"Are you sure Johnny won't mind me staying here with you?" he asked guiltily.

"Nah, besides its only for one night. Unless of course... you want to stay over every night." Lucas wiggled his eyebrows.

"Hey! I see those dirty thoughts running around your brain." Jungwoo slapped him lightly.

Lucas scoffed. "Dirty thoughts? Who me? I'm innocent as heck!"

"Come on Lucas, I can see right through you." Jungwoo laid down under the covers, pulling them up to his chin.

Lucas laid down beside him on his side so he could look at Jungwoo.

"I'm serious." he said in a quieter voice. "I haven't even had my first kiss yet."

Jungwoo's eyes opened wide and he turned to look at Lucas who was trying to hide his blush.

"Really?"

"Really. I was waiting for someone special."

"Am I... special?" Jungwoo asked before he could stop himself. He held his breath as he waited for Lucas' answer, scared of being rejected.

"You are." Lucas moved the hair out of Jungwoo's eyes. "You are very special to me."

Jungwoo turned so that he was facing Lucas. His eyes flickered down to Lucas' slightly parted lips.

"You're special to me too." Jungwoo whispered, his eyes moving rapidly between Lucas' lips and eyes, looking for a signal that it was okay to kiss him.

Lucas took matters into his own hands and pushed his lips onto Jungwoo's soft, plump ones. It was a gentle kiss, not full of lust but instead it showed how much they cared for each other. They moved their lips together and it felt so right that their hearts swelled up with adoration for the other person.

Jungwoo broke the kiss, panting softly and couldn't help the smile that made its way onto his face.

"That was my first kiss too." Jungwoo admitted after a while.

"I would never have guessed, I think that was the best first kiss I could have asked for."

Jungwoo hugged Lucas' body to his own, no longer feeling shy about the contact between them.

"Goodnight Lucas." he whispered.

"Goodnight cutie."


	20. Chapter 20

The next morning at breakfast Haechan's mother suggested something the boys had not even thought of.

Doing an activity that didn't include the sea.

"There's a fairground nearby, why don't you boys go along and try out the rides?"

They exchanged glances, some of them feeling excited at the prospect of going on roller coasters, and the others preoccupied in thinking about their friends in the sea.

"We agreed to meet Ten today though..." Johnny trailed off.

"We can go meet them and ask if they want to go to the fair?" Taeil suggested.

"Yeah I think we should spend at least a few days of this vacation out of the water." Yuta agreed.

"Okay we'll finish breakfast and then go meet the others." Taeyong confirmed.

Jungwoo nervously poked Lucas' leg under the table, making Lucas look at him questioningly.

"I'm scared of rides." Jungwoo mouthed.

"You'll be fine." Lucas mouthed back with a grin.

Jungwoo shook his head frantically and gave him a pleading look.

Lucas pretended to stretch his arms and then rested one arm on the back of Jungwoo's chair before leaning in to whisper.

"I'll protect you."

Jungwoo blushed and felt his heart swell up with a sense of safety.

Doyoung raised an eyebrow. "Are you two dating already?"

Everyone turned to look at Jungwoo and Lucas who had frozen like deer in headlights.

"Umm..."

"Who knows what those two got up to last night while I was sleeping on the couch." Johnny smirked. "They've probably already gone to third base."

Jungwoo looked horrified and had turned as red as a tomato at Johnny's words while Lucas glared at him.

"We did nothing of the sort."

"Mhm sure."

"We didn't!"

"Johnny get your mind out of the gutter." Taeyong shot him a disappointed look.

Johnny pouted but let it go, he could always tease them later on if he felt like it.

After cleaning up their dishes they made their way out the house and down the usual trail to the sea.

"Am I useless?" Haechan asked Mark suddenly.

Mark turned to him with a shocked expression. "Why on earth would you say that?"

Haechan sighed. "I'm a starfish for goodness sake, I can't do anything without the help of someone else and I don't think I will be of much help rescuing the princess either."

"Haechan..." Mark shook his head. "Don't you know you're our biggest asset? Your voice can hypnotise anyone who listens to you sing! The palace visitors and guards will be too busy admiring your voice while one of us searches for and rescues the princess."

"Do you really mean that?" Haechan glanced at his boyfriend, feeling hope spark in his heart at the confident tone of his voice.

"I meant every word." Mark replied with a genuine smile. "I'm proud to call you my boyfriend, even if you are just a starfish."

Slap.

"I was joking!"


	21. Chapter 21

"Everyone stay here while Johnny and I go collect the others." Taeyong instructed when the boys had reached the sea.

Taeyong and Johnny dived into the water, leaving the rest of the boys to wander around on the sand.

"Since Johnny isn't here, what did you two really get up to last night?" Doyoung asked Lucas and Jungwoo curiously.

Lucas crossed his arms. "Is there no privacy around here? We kissed, okay? That's it."

Doyoung's eyes immediately lit up, ignoring the first part of Lucas' answer.

"My luwoo ship is sailing." he grinned.

"Luwoo?" Jungwoo asked while Lucas groaned.

"Lucas plus Jungwoo equals luwoo." Doyoung explained.

"Just ignore him, he's crazy. He calls Taeyong and himself 'dotae', how stupid is that?"

"I like it." Jungwoo giggled. "Luwoo couple."

Lucas immediately backtracked and pretended to think. "Actually... I like luwoo too."

Doyoung scoffed. "You only said that because Jungwoo said he liked it."

"What? I liked it from the beginning, I don't know what you're talking about." Lucas was tackled to the ground by Doyoung while Jungwoo stood watching helplessly.

"Woah are you two fighting over Jungwoo?" Mark grinned.

"Taeyong isn't going to be pleased." Yuta teased.

"I'm not fighting over Jungwoo you idiot!" Doyoung hissed. "I'm teaching Lucas a lesson."

"I'm innocent." Lucas seemed unfazed by Doyoung who was trying to attack his weak spots.

Lucas laid still for a few seconds longer before easily pushing Doyoung off and brushing the dirt off his clothes.

Doyoung sat on the sand with a bewildered expression. "Am I really that weak?"

"You couldn't hurt a fly." Lucas laughed.

"Shut up everyone! I completely forgot to mention this at breakfast but did you see those three guys... what were their names? Jam, Injun and Jay or something?" Yuta appeared to be thinking really hard.

"Jeno, Renjun and Jaemin." Jungwoo corrected.

"Yeah them. Are those three dating each other?"

Jungwoo shrugged, feeling pressured at all the eyes which were now on him since he was the only one in the group who had spent most of his time with them.

"I think they're in a poly relationship, but I'm not quite sure."

"We noticed them yesterday too, they're cute aren't they?" Mark added.

Yuta scrunched up his nose. "I hope they don't rub off on my Sicheng." he shot a brief glance at Taeil. "I'm not sharing him."

Taeil rolled his eyes and grumbled under his breath.

"I think they're here guys, I see dolphins!" Haechan pointed into the water where sure enough an assortment of fish and sea creatures were swimming towards them.

The beach was soon crowded with all twenty one boys chattering away excitedly.

Ten nudged Johnny. "I'm just saying but didn't we agree to stay on land for the next few days so we could learn the new language?"

Johnny rolled his eyes. "It's only one day Ten, we can have some fun right?"

Ten bit his lip but eventually nodded, ignoring the nervous feeling in his stomach. He put a smile on his face and skipped along beside Johnny and the others to the fairground.

Chenle let out a dolphin-pitched scream when he saw the rides. "Oh my gosh! I haven't been on a roller coaster in so long, I'm so excited and- OH MY GOD IS THAT CANDY FLOSS? Jisung we have to get candy floss, like now, please please please!"

Jisung held onto his ears to protect them from the screeching sounds Chenle was making but smiled at his enthusiasm.

"We haven't got money." Jisung reminded him. "But go ask Taeyong if we can borrow some, he looks like a generous person."

Chenle skipped over to Taeyong who had actually been listening in to their conversation.

"You want some candy floss?" Taeyong asked just as Chenle opened his mouth to speak.

Chenle nodded eagerly and watched as Taeyong pulled out his wallet and gave him a fair amount of coins.

"Thank you!" Chenle screamed and ran back to Jisung.

"My mum gave me money for everyone, you didn't need to do that." Haechan said to Taeyong.

"It's fine." he shrugged. "I can use my money for Doyoung and I."

"Sure. What should we go on first?"

Taeyong grinned cheekily. "How about the haunted ghost train?"

"No no no Taeyong why do you like to torture me?" Doyoung whined.

Taeyong held up his wallet. "I'm paying."

Doyoung groaned. "Fine... I wouldn't waste my money on that trash but if you're offering..."

"Anyone who wants to go on the ghost train follow us!" Haechan yelled and grabbed onto Mark's arm, pulling him along despite his protests.

About half the group followed them to the ghost train, unaware that they were about to have the biggest scare of their lives...


	22. Chapter 22

One would think a ghost train ride at a fairground wouldn't be very scary, since they are usually cheap pop-up attractions for kids. At least this is what Doyoung and Mark thought when they let their significant other drag them over to the ride.

Doyoung and Taeyong sat at the front of the train with Xiaojun and Hendery behind them, Haechan and Mark in the third carriage and Yuta and Sicheng in the final carriage.

"We'll get on the next train." Johnny and Ten waved them off and watched as the train disappeared into the dark building.

"I don't like this..." Mark looped his arm with Haechan's and leaned closer to him.

"You're such a baby." Haechan whispered but was secretly happy at the close proximity. 

"Why are we sitting at the front?" Doyoung was still whining and Taeyong was getting slightly annoyed at the noise flowing in through his left ear.

Taeyong pulled Doyoung's face to the side and mimed locking his lips and throwing away the key.

"Stop complaining, I'll treat you after okay?" 

Doyoung nodded and latched onto Taeyong's arm, determined to not be scared for once in his life.

The scene was slightly comical as each of the four carriages was filled with one brave person and one cowardly person.

"Oh fu-fudge cakes!" Hendery whimpered as an actor suddenly shook the bars of his cage and growled at them.

Xiaojun held back a scoff at Hendery's choice of words. He had originally agreed to go with Yangyang but the younger boy had chickened out at the last minute so he asked Hendery to join him in the carriage.

"Can I hold your hand? I'm scared." Hendery asked him tentatively.

Xiaojun turned to look at Hendery who had his eyes wide open in fear and was trembling slightly. The sight almost made him coo but instead he nodded and held his hand out for Hendery to take.

Yuta was secretly terrified but he had on a brave face so that he would impress Sicheng. Sicheng on the other hand wasn't paying any attention to Yuta and was too busy screaming his lungs out every time there was a jump scare.

About three quarters of the way through the ride Hendery burst into shocked tears when something dropped from the ceiling and brushed against the side of his head.

"Shh Hendery." Xiaojun squeezed his hand.

"I'm scared." he blubbered. "I'm scared Xiaojun."

Xiaojun felt an emotion he couldn't describe rising in his chest as he stared at the crying boy next to him. In the next second he did something which he wouldn't have had the guts to do in any other situation.

He pushed his lips onto Hendery's.

The crying immediately ceased and the two boys stared at each other, their lips still touching.

Xiaojun took this as a good sign since Hendery hadn't pulled away so he closed his eyes, pushing his lips harder onto the younger's.

Grateful for the distraction, Hendery also closed his eyes and responded to Xiaojun's gentle touch. His heartbeat rose steadily and he soon felt confident enough to place one hand on the back of Xiaojun's neck, bringing him closer.

Doyoung turned around to see how the others were holding up and immediately noticed Hendery and Xiaojun's locked lips. He made eye contact with Sicheng who was equally as shocked at the sight in front of him.

Doyoung turned back to the front as sunlight streamed through the door to their freedom and the boys behind him pulled away from each other.

Johnny and Ten noticed the awkward tension in the air as the boys got off the ghost train and walked over to them.

"Is something wrong?" Ten asked, his eyes scanning everyone's face.

Sicheng looked at Hendery whom he'd recently talked to about regrets and Hendery just shook his head.

"Nothing's wrong." Doyoung replied. "Enjoy the ghost train, you two might end up closer than expected after the ride." he winked and pulled Taeyong along with him, leaving a confused Ten and Johnny behind them.


	23. Chapter 23

Hendery and Xiaojun walked over to a quiet space after the ride so they could talk privately.

"What was that?" Hendery asked him quietly, not daring to make eye contact.

"I-I kissed you so you wouldn't feel so scared." Xiaojun said.

Xiaojun was afraid he was about to be rejected so he was also avoiding eye contact with Hendery. He knew Hendery liked Ten and was sure he had very little chance at being something more than friends.

"Is that the only reason you kissed me?"

Xiaojun looked up tentatively at Hendery who was now staring intensely at him.

"W-why would t-there be another reason?" Xiaojun laughed nervously.

"Okay." Hendery pursed his lips, feeling disappointment take over his mind. "Fine."

Hendery started to walk away but his wrist was grabbed, causing him to turn back.

"I-I-"

"You don't have to lie to make me feel better Jun, I know you don't have feelings for me."

Hendery tried to walk away again but was pulled back more harshly. He stumbled slightly, his hand going up to steady himself on Xiaojun's chest. Once he realised the position they were in his cheeks began to burn a slight pink.

"I do have feelings for you." Xiaojun said quietly. "I was just scared to say anything."

Hendery's heart started to beat faster at Xiaojun's confession and he maintained eye contact while trying to search for any sign of a lie.

"Really?" Hendery asked eventually.

"Really." 

"You're not lying?"

"I'm not lying."

"How do I-"

Xiaojun cut him off by pushing his lips onto Hendery's. Hendery was shocked for a second before melting into the kiss and closing his eyes.

Hendery could feel Xiaojun smiling against his lips which made him also smile and he felt like his heart was bursting out of his chest from happiness.

"You like me too?" Xiaojun asked when they pulled away. His eyes were shining with joy and he wanted to shout how happy he was to the world.

"Mhm." Hendery made a sound of agreement. "You're adorable, how could I not like you?"

Xiaojun blushed and hid his face behind his hands. 

Hendery grinned and grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's enjoy the rides while we're human."

Xiaojun nodded, skipping alongside his long time crush with a large smile which didn't go unnoticed by the other members.

"Are you two dating then?" Doyoung asked through a mouthful of candy floss that Taeyong had bought him as a treat for enduring the ghost train ride.

They glanced at each other shyly, not knowing whether they were dating already or not.

"I guess we are?" Hendery said eventually, looking back at Doyoung.

"Yeah." Xiaojun said softly.

"Argh I could squeal at how cute you two look together." Doyoung cooed. 

Taeyong pouted from beside him but nodded. "You look like an adorable couple."

"You up for that ride?" Doyoung pointed to a tall ride which would take the riders up to the top and then drop them suddenly.

"Bring it."


End file.
